Alexander the great and his empire book

As debate continues about the meaning of his life, alexanders death remains a mystery. Alexander the greats conquests freed the west from the menace of persian rule and spread greek civilization and culture into asia and egypt. Being an egyptologist, and im ashamed to say, i really didnt have a good, solid idea about who alexander the great was beyond his having been a young, determined macedonian lad who established a vast empire during the 330s b. Alexander was born into the royal family of macedonia, the kingdom that would soon rule over greece. From the earliest times, historians have argued about the nature of his achievements and what his failings were, both as a man and as a political leader. Alexander was born in pella, macedonia ancient greece, in 356 bc to king philip ii of macedonia and his wife olympias.

Asenath and the golden tablet that changed her destiny. Synopsis an overview of alexanders lifefrom his early military exploits to the creation of his empire and the legacy left after his premature death. The celebrated macedonian king has been one of the most enduring figures in history. Alexander the great never lost a battle and established an empire that stretched from the mediterranean to the indian subcontinent. The author, being a specialist in persian history, spends a great deal praising the diversity of culture within the persian empire and refuting the greek propaganda against persians that was abundant at that time. Alexander the great was an ancient macedonian ruler and one of historys greatest military minds who, as king of macedonia and persia, established the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen. Its probably narrower in scope than what you want however. Richard ritenbaugh describes how the greek empire under alexander the great and his successors fulfills the imagery in daniel 2. In his lively and authoritative biography of alexander, classical scholar and historian philip freeman describes alexanders astonishing achievements and provides insight into the mercurial character of the great conqueror. The author details the considerable achievements of alexanders father philip, and how they may have influenced some of alexanders decisions.

Alexander the great became king of macedon in 336 bc, when he was only 20 years old, and died at the age of 32, twelve years later. Alexander the greats will found 2,000 years after death. The wars of alexander the great were fought by king alexander iii of macedon the great, first against the achaemenid persian empire under darius iii, and then against local chieftains and warlords as far east as punjab, india. Alexander could be petty and magnanimous, cruel and.

His book is set apart from the plethora of biographies of alexander the great by its focus on his origins and aims, the way he administered and organized his. His treatment of alexanders character is highly influenced by this. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of alexander the great and what it means. Alexander the great, also known as alexander iii or alexander of macedonia, born 356 bce, pella, macedonia northwest of thessaloniki, greecedied june, 323 bce, babylon near al. Read the fulltext online edition of alexander the great and his empire. After a short account of alexanders life before his landing in asia minor, the book gives a brief overview of the major stages of his conquest. Alexander was perhaps the greatest conquering general in history. But it is a great military history book and by keeping its scope narrow than a full biography, it avoids some of the contentious things about his personal life and gives you detailed information. I have found bosworths book conquest and empire the reign of alexander the great very useful for his scholarly approach and for many references but bosworths chief weakness is his undue dependence on the greek and roman authors. Alexander the greats biblical connection ancient pages.

Alexander the great and his empire princeton university. Alexander the great became king of macedonia at age 19. However, the prophets daniel and zechariah wrote prophecies concerning greece and alexanders macedonian empire. His book is set apart from the plethora of biographies of alexander the. The book tries to steer clear of both idealizing alexander the great, typical of some earlier modern biographies, and of deconstructing his. During his reign he conquered the achaemenid persian empire, the largest empire that had ever existed, leading his army from greece to pakistan, and from the libyan desert to the steppes of central asia. In the first authoritative biography of alexander the great written for a general audience in a generation, classicist and historian philip freeman tells the remarkable life of the great conqueror. His death at the age of thirtytwo spelled the end of that unity.

Eschewing a conventional biographical focus, this is the only book in any language that sets the rise of alexanders shortlived empire within the broad context of ancient near eastern history under achaemenid persian rule, as well as against alexanders macedonian background. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Alexander the great by philip freeman, paperback barnes. From his early days with philip to alexanders brilliant conquest of persia to his early death, this book is absolutely great. Alexander the great and his empire princeton university press. The story of alexanders conquest of the persian empire is known to many readers, but the dramatic and consequential saga of the empires collapse remains virtually untold. In spring 324 he was back in susa, capital of elam and administrative centre of the persian empire. Alexander believed that the supreme greek god, and not the mere mortal philip of macedon, was his true father.

As a child, alexander was taught to fight, to ride a horse and to hunt, alongside more traditional subjects. The author presents alexander as a component of the historical processes in his epoch and considers his influence on developments in greece, macedonia, the persian empire and neighbouring countries. Alexander the great and his empire isbn 9780691141947 certainly is an all encompassing title covering every aspect of the person of alexander and of the empire he created, although for the purpose of making the reading easier pierre briant has divided his book in a handful of chapters. Everything from his complex personality and his sexual life to his military and logistical tactics have been analyzed by historians. Alexander the greats empire stretched from the balkans to. Hammonds book is the first book i have read on alexander and i think it is a great book to read if you know at least some detail about alexander. His death may be the most famous case of pseudothanatos, or false diagnosis of death, ever recorded. Im a fan of fullers the generalship of alexander the great. Creating a top ten list for books on alexander the great is not easy, since few ancient historical figures have been written about as much. Alexander the great and his empire book description.

Get an answer for how did alexander the great unify his empire. This neat little book takes 30 key incidents from his illustrious life to teach todays leaders how to be a great leader. By age 30 he controlled an empire that spanned from greece to india. Alexander the greats last will and testament may have been found hiding in plain sight 2,000 years after his death. Alexander the great was crowned pharaoh and declared son of god amun. Tutored as a boy by aristotle, alexander had an inquisitive mind that would serve him well when he faced formidable obstacles during his military campaig. His book is set apart from the plethora of biographies of alexander the great by its focus on his origins and aims, the way he administered and organized his empire, and especially his impact. Diodorus quintus curtius justins trogus epitome also. Alexander the great managed to conquer most of the known world before dying in 323 b. The book is fairly brief, but it incorporates good research. His life and his mysterious death in new york journal of books. Alexander the great was an ancient macedonian ruler and one of historys greatest military minds who before his death established a powerful, immense empire.

Josephus 37 100 ad, a firstcentury romanojewish historian, briefly records alexanders triumph in his book. Buy a cheap copy of the wisdom of alexander the great book by lance b. The parents were far from a happy couple, and alexander was raised primarily under the influence of his mother. Detail of the alexander mosaic, circa 100 bc, recovered from the floor of the house of the faun in pompeii, showing alexander the great with a gorgons head on his breastplate charging toward king darius of persia in what is thought to be the battle of issus, 333 bc. Alexander the great is one of the latest, most updated, and contemporary books on the life of the ancient, macedonian king, who would extend his empire from a little slide of land in greece through persia, egypt, all the way to india, forming the greatest empire the ancient world had ever seen. The noneschatological prophecies in daniel have proved so reliable that some critics have tried to. At the age of thirteen, he was sent to study with aristotlean education that was for the most part formal. A summary of taking over the empire in s alexander the great. Account of alexander the greats conquest and its impact on the conquered pierre briant is a scholar of the highest international standing. This is the first publication in english of pierre briants classic short history of alexander the greats conquest of the persian empire, from the mediterranean to central asia. The real story of alexander the great art of manliness. Londonbased expert unearthed the his dying wishes in an ancient text.

Could someone recommend a good book about alexander the. To defeat the persian empire, he led his troops on a tenyear campaign from his native macedonia all the way to india. He was a general of such skill and renown that for two thousand years other great leaders studied his strategy. One of the best books on alexander, is peter green, alexander of macedon. Alexander the great, perhaps the most commanding leader in history, united his empire and his army by the titanic force of his will.

The name alexander or alexander the great, referring to the macedonian king, never appears in the bible. Some two years later, as his body was in transit, soldiers loyal to alexanders lieutenant ptolemy stole the corpsewhat historian robin waterfield, writing in his new book dividing the spoils, calls more or less an act of war. His book is set apart from the plethora of biographies of alexander the great by its focus on his origins and aims, the way he administered and organized his empire, and especially his impact on the areas he conquered, the last of which almost no other books address. If alexander the great had explicitly left his empire to one person, the empire would have still likely crumbled, historians suggest. As his father foresaw, the story of his son would be one of allconsuming ambition, and this is the story told in this dramatic yet immensely readable introduction to alexander the great. Belly and thighs of bronze prophecy watch by richard t. What if alexander the great left his empire to one person.